A Million Reasons
by shouvley
Summary: Wanda and Ian decide to have a baby. And madness ensues. COMPLETE. Prequel: Everything Changes, Sequel: A Million More
1. Chapter 1

_A/N I've been toying with writing this for a couple months. And I just wanted to put it out there that I don't have my book with me right now and I can't for the life of me remember the name of the guy that they meet at the end of the book so I decided his name is Nate. haha :) enjoy_

* * *

It all began with a thunderstorm. It was one of the biggest that I had experienced in the caves. Jeb said because it had been so hot lately there was heat lightning in addition to the rain. It didn't matter to me whether it was a sprinkle or a torrential downpour, I just wanted the opportunity to stay in the game room. Although my room with Ian was everything I could want and more, I would never turn down an opportunity to share my space with Jamie, and to have Mel and Jared sleeping nearby. It was comforting and reassuring to have all the people I loved sleeping in one place.

It had been about 3 years since I gave Melanie back and was placed into this body. I had learned to love it, although accepting its limitations was difficult. I loved Ian more than ever and Melanie and I were practically inseparable, the best of friends. Jamie had grown from boy into man. It was hard to believe the way he towered over Mel now. And he enjoyed that a little too much, setting his chin on top of her head from time to time, just to rub it in.

The rain had started in early morning so we had all day to make preparations for the evening. It was Ian and Kyle's task to move mattresses and cots to the game room and I followed behind carrying pillows (and still very annoyed by the limitations placed on me by this body). We set down our first load and Kyle headed back to get a second. I turn to follow but Ian grabbed my arm. I turned and before I knew what was going on we were in a passionate embrace. I pulled back, a little confused. "What's gotten into you?" I laughed. He wrapped his arms around me and I felt totally safe.

"I was just thinking about the first time we slept in here together. Remember, right after you became Pet?" He was very reflective and his sapphire eyes were deep.

"How could I forget? That was probably the best night of my life," I whispered.

"I love you, Wanda. I don't think I say it enough, but I do. I would do anything for you." He looked deeply into my eyes as if he were searching for something.

"You know that I know that. And I feel the same way." I tried to kiss him again but he was still talking.

"Good, because I wanted to ask you a question." He was suddenly very serious. I became nervous that he was going to ask me to stop going on raids. He knew that I would never agree, but there had been a close scrape on the last one; we met a seeker who asked a lot of questions. I was very thankful my lying skills were sharp. But the way he was looking at me was different than when he asked me not to go on raids. This face was more hopeful, making me believe that what he was going to ask was something he truly wanted and hoped that I wanted too. I waited for him to take a deep breath, and then he blurted out, "What do you think about having a baby?"

I was taken aback. I was not expecting this. It wasn't something I had ever even contemplated. It always seemed irresponsible to even think about bringing another human into the world while there was still this chaos and confusion. But things had gotten better recently. We had added members to our group thanks to the contacts that Nate had provided to us, both humans and souls alike. Our raids were few and far between and when we did go we were able to stock up enough for months at a time. Since there had been no suspicious activity in our area for awhile, the Seekers had stopped patrolling and life was as calm and unremarkable as you could expect it to be while hiding from aliens in an underground 

cave. So the wheels in my head began turning. I remembered on my first real raid, watching the soul parents playing with their human child, and the longing I had felt at the time. I had originally attributed it to wanting to see Mel human again, but now I knew there was something else there. I never thought I had the mothering instinct. After all, if I had wanted, I could have been a mother to millions of souls at once. I now knew that I would love this one human child more than I could possibly love a million of my own species. And the reason for that was Ian. If our child turned out to be one tenth as kind, generous, and self-less as Ian, it would be lightyears ahead of every other child. How could I deny the prospect of spreading Ian's kindness as far as it would go? Of course I wanted to have a child with him. I couldn't believe the thought hadn't occurred to me sooner. Then I had another thought, "Do you think everyone would be OK with it?"

A smile spread across his face. I hadn't said no. "I know that they would. I've heard people talking, just casually, that they miss seeing Freedom discovering new things all the time. I mean 5 is still great but I think quite a few people would enjoy seeing a baby around."

"That wasn't quite what I was talking about. I think that would be the case, but don't you think everyone would be happier if it was Mel and Jared or Andy and Paige who had a baby? Two humans, making a human?"

"Yes and no. At first they might think that but we just have to remind them that you are human, Wanda. You just weren't born one." That made me smile. I loved when he called me human. "And besides, you aren't allowed to tell Mel this, but you would be a better mother than her anyway. She's too violent." We both chuckled. That was true. Mel hadn't calmed any, even after having the experience of sharing her body with a soul. She would always be confrontational.

"There's a millions reasons why this is a bad idea," I told him.

"And there's another million why it's good." He was staring at me with a fire in his eyes. He really wanted this. I smiled; I wanted it too.

"If I say yes, you have to tell Jeb," I made my face stern, letting him know that there was no waving on this condition.

"Of course." The smile that had been slowly creeping onto his face was now fully there. He was ecstatic.

"Well, let's do this then." I tried to fall backwards onto one of the cots we had carried in, pulling him on top of me, but he didn't budge. This stupid weak body. It took him a second to figure out what I was trying to do but when he did his smile got even bigger. He leaned in to kiss me then let me pull him down.

* * *

_So that was chapter 1. I have the whole story mapped out, it's just a question of when I find the time to write it with my ridiculous schedule the next couple of weeks. Reviews are always greatly appreciated_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N Thanks for all the great reviews. I have most of the next chapter done but I thinking about changing some things so it might take a little longer. Hope you like this one_

* * *

"So, what you kids are telling me is that you think Wanda is pregnant?" Jeb was having a little bit of trouble wrapping his head around the concept.

"No, she's not pregnant yet," Ian explained. "But we were hoping to get your blessing to try."

Jeb paused for a long minute before he replied. I was terrified that he was going to say no. After all who could blame him? He had to do what was in the best interests of the group, and I had trouble convincing myself of that. How could I convince him if I wasn't sure I believed it myself? Finally he answered.

"You know, I really respect you guys for coming and asking for permission," he started. "And you know that this is a big undertaking. Not only will you have a baby to care for, but you know that not everyone will be supportive of this decision." He raised his eyebrows at me and I knew he was thinking of Sharon and Maggie. "It's not going to be easy."

"We know Jeb. But the benefits outweigh the risks." I looked him straight in the eye. "And I'm sure if you give your approval people will be supportive. No one would dare go against you."

"As long as you know what you're getting yourselves into." He wasn't saying no? I was sure he would. After all, this was going to cause unnecessary turmoil and probably launch Mel into a fit that would border on theatrical. But if Jeb thought it was a good idea then who was I to argue?

"So is that a yes?" I asked skeptically.

"Yes, Wanda. That's a yes." He smiled at me. "My only request is that you don't tell anyone until you're sure. It'll be easier to deal with when it's a certainty instead of a debate."

I nodded and took a deep breath. I'd really thought he was going to say no. Now that he wasn't I didn't know how to react. I looked at Ian, dumbstruck. His smile was wider than I'd thought possible. He pulled me up into a tight hug and started spinning me around. He was laughing.

Jeb cleared his throat. "Well, I guess I'll give you kids some privacy then." He winked and walked out of the room muttering something about young love.

About two months later I was pretty sure that I was pregnant but we didn't have any way to check. I was going only going on the limited knowledge of pregnancy I'd seen in Mel and Pet's memories. Neither was very specific.

I'd been trying my hardest to act normal but I hadn't been succeeding the last couple of days. Mel knew something was off. She didn't know what was wrong, but that didn't stop her from guessing. She just said whatever random idea came into her head, plausible or not. I think the only reason it bothered her was she didn't know what I was thinking anymore. She was used to knowing everything so this sudden lack of knowledge was really getting to her.

We were eating dinner at a table with Paige, and Sunny and Mel was in the middle of her most recent theory (centering on my depression due to lack of sun exposure) when Jamie walked into the room. I looked at him and it was as if I hadn't seen him in years. He just looked too grown up. I couldn't put my finger on what had changed, but he wasn't a kid anymore. I guess I took him for granted. In my head he would always be a little kid which wasn't fair to him. I need to start treating him like an adult. I didn't know how to make up for the time when I treated him like the same child when he obviously was an adult. It was horrible.

When Sunny reached over and touched my shoulder I realized that I was crying. I tried to wipe away the tears before Mel could see but she caught me. The look on her face was questioning and before she could ask a question I jumped in.

"Wow, I'm really tired, I think I'm going to get to bed early tonight." I turned for the door. "Ian, you coming?" Ian looked at me, slightly confused but didn't argue. He got up from the table he was at with Andy and followed me out.

"What's wrong?" he asked one we were in the corridor, his voiced filled with worry. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. I just never realized how old Jamie is now. We need to stop babying him." I tried to explain the feeling I'd had when I'd seen him. All the while Ian just smile and looked like he was suppressing a laugh.

"What's so funny?" I asked, trying to sound annoyed but I didn't come out that way.

"Nothing. It's really not funny, but I think you just had your first mood swing." He held my hand and looked at me. "I think that might be the proof we've been waiting for." We stopped walking and he moved his free hand to my stomach. We stood there for a few minutes before a yawn snuck out.

"You really were tired?" he asked. "I thought you just told Mel that so you could leave."

"I guess not. Are you ready to go to bed?"

He nodded and led the way to our room. We laid down on our bed facing each other and fell asleep staring into each other's eyes.

In the middle of the night I woke up and my stomach was churning. It was all I could do to make it to the bath caves before I threw up everywhere. It was the first time I had thrown up as a human and not an experience I cared to repeat. I was cleaning my shirt in the water when I heard a noise behind me. I turned toward the sound and saw a familiar silhouette entering the cave.

"Hey Mel," I said, trying to sound casual.

"Morning Wanda," Mel replied suspiciously. "Are you ok?" I hadn't fooled her. She took a second to see if I was going to explain myself. When I didn't she changed her approach. "I heard you running down the hall so I came to check on you."

I was glad in that moment that lying was no longer impossible for me. "For some reason I just really needed to use facilities." Technically that wasn't even a lie. I really did have to use the facilities just not for the normal reason people usually used them for. That made me feel a little better except I could tell that Mel was still suspicious. I needed to come up with something else, and fast. Suddenly my focus was pulled from that thought to something more urgent. My already empty stomach heaved again and I threw up right there. Mel was at my side, rubbing my back.

"You're not ok. What's wrong?" She sounded so concerned. I couldn't do this to her anymore. I had to tell her the truth, this was eating me up inside.

I took a deep breath while Mel waited for my answer. "Well, technically I'm not ok. But really I am. I've never been better. Does that make sense?"

"Actually, Wanda it doesn't. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Urgh," I grunted. I couldn't come up with any easy way to explain and I didn't want to just blurt it out without working up to it. There was no need to send her into shock. "I don't know how to explain it."

I was still contemplating my answer when Mel decided I had taken too long to answer. "Are you sure you really know what's wrong with you?" Her concern was so genuine. "Maybe we should go see Doc."

"No I'm pretty sure I know. I don't need to go see Doc, I just need some more sleep."

"Ok, fine you don't have to tell me now. Let's just go back to bed." She stood up to lead the way out and I followed. I had to talk this over with Ian. There would be a lot more questions coming. As soon as we were about to turn back towards the bedrooms I had an odd craving.

Before I could stop myself I blurted out, "You what sounds really good right now? A pickle."

Mel whirled around to look at me with a look of total confusion. She looked like she thought I was going crazy, and I really I must have seemed like it. Suddenly she had an epiphany. She walked slowly toward me and with a look of absolute horror. She stopped a few feet short and stared. She let out a few incomprehensible stutters before she whispered, "Are you pregnant?!"


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: So I got an A on my medicinal chemistry exam today. Don't really have any reason to share that other than it's really exciting. The next chapter is outlined so hopefully I'll get it up soon. Reviews are always great : ) btw, thanks to teamedward240 who let me know I was right about Nate. That made me feel pretty smart (or just a good guesser) haha _

* * *

I really wished Melanie hadn't figured it out on her own before I could find a way to tell her. At least she had gotten out of the main hallway. As soon as she had figured it out she immediately started walking away and headed down one of the corridors used for storage. I didn't understand until she motioned for me to follow. She was being nice and not shouting my business down the hall where everyone was sleeping. Which meant she was going to shout. I wasn't sure I wanted to follow but I did anyway because I knew that anything she had to say I deserved. I took a deep breath and started down the dark corridor. As soon as I caught up to her she turned to address me.

"How did this happen? Don't think I don't know that you take an extra box of condoms for yourself on raids. I have eyes. I see things." So this was going to start with ranting? I guess I couldn't really blame her. She was pacing back and forth in the narrow space trying to make sense of things.

"Does Ian know yet?" she asked suddenly.

"Of course," I answered immediately.

She stopped pacing and stared at me. "Have you decided when you going to do it yet?"

I didn't understand what she was getting at. "Do what?"

"Go to a healer and have it aborted. You said that they do that all the time."

It was true that the healers did remove human fetuses from souls on a fairly regular basis. It wasn't that the souls were heartless; it was just that they had no connection to the growing child inside them. It was a different species. A lesser-species. There were also quite a few that were afraid of being near a wild human, even if it was a newborn before a soul could be implanted. I now instantly regretted telling Mel that story.

"They do but I could never do that."

"Listen Wanda, I know you're confused and scared. No one ever plans these things, but you need to get it taken care of before it's too late." She was doing that compassionate thing again, thinking about my well-being. I knew I was going to spoil it with that I had to say next.

"Actually Mel, that's just it. It was planned." I looked at her and tried to catch her gaze. She just looked past me in disbelief.

"Are you saying you were trying to get pregnant?" She looked livid.

I nodded, not wanting to say the word out loud.

She threw her hands up in the air and started pacing again. "I can't believe it!"

* * *

"How could you be so irresponsible? I just don't understand."

It was 2 hours later and Mel was still ranting. She was pacing back and forth in her room now so at least she had more space before she had to turn. She was rubbing her temples, still trying to make sense of things.

As soon as she could compose herself enough to walk down the hall she had tattled to Jared and I didn't blame her. She wanted his opinion on the situation. And I think she also secretly hoped he might 

beat-up Ian. After the initial revelation Jared and Ian had gone off so that Ian could explain to Jared and I could explain to Mel. Ian and Jared had been finished for quite awhile. I had yet to say a word. I opened my mouth several times to try to reply to one of her questions but the daggers she shot back at me let me know that her questions were rhetorical. I wasn't really sure why I needed to be here for this other than she needed someone to focus her anger on. I knew it was wrong, but I let my mind wander.

I imagined a baby with sandy blonde curls looking up at me through thick eyelashes. He was sitting in a wooden highchair that Ian built himself. He was throwing his banana everywhere except his mouth and every so often a giggle would sneak out. That was music to my ears. I could feel Ian's arm around me and I turned to look at him. The look on his face was positively child-like while watching the baby. It was as if he was having just as much fun. I had only seen that expression once before, when he asked to get pregnant. It was the expression of someone who was completely and utterly happy. I could feel the corners of my mouth pulling up into a smirk. I couldn't wait to see that expression again.

"WHY ARE YOU SMILING? THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" Mel called me back the present abruptly. "I can't believe you're not taking this seriously." She looked like she was expecting a response so I opened my mouth to assure her of my sincerity but she cut me off.

"Obviously I'm not getting through to you. Maybe you'll listen to Doc. Let's go." She grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room and down towards the infirmary.

* * *

Doc was calmer than Mel, but only slightly. At least he wasn't yelling. When he had initially started talking to me Mel had still been in the room. Her constant airing of her in her views on the subject got a bit annoying so I was thankful when Doc asked her to leave. When he came back into the room after seeing Mel out he looked grave. I could tell the coming conversation was not going to be pleasant.

"Now, Wanda, I'm not going to tell you that this was a bad idea. You already know that. What I do want to tell you is this is an extremely high risk pregnancy. I am completely unequipped to handle prenatal care. Plus, with your small stature I'm fairly certain you would require a C-section. I can promise that you don't want me to perform one here. So the only logical thing would be for you to be under the care of a Healer."

I was hoping he was just trying to threaten me with the idea of going to a Healer. It had never crossed my mind that Doc wouldn't be able to handle this.

"Doc, you're just being overly cautious."

"No Wanda. I'm sorry but if you want to continue with this pregnancy you have to go to a Healer. They are the only ones who can make sure you stay safe. You know it's for the best."

"I'm sorry Doc but I won't go. They will try to talk me into aborting the baby and when I tell them no it will only focus extra attention on me. I refuse to bring unnecessary speculation on the group. I trust you."

"If you're cautious enough it won't be a problem," he responded. "I'm sorry Wanda but I have to put my foot down. You're going to a Healer and there will be no discussion about it."

"You can't make me." I crossed my arms across my chest and pouted. That was out of character for me but this mood swing seemed to suit me well.

"You're right, I can't. But Ian, Mel, and Jared can. I will make sure that they do."


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Not my favorite chapter to write but necessary to set up things to come. Reviews are always appreciated._

* * *

"Since we're out here we could at least be raiding. It's stupid to make a trip just for this." I was trying to do anything to break the tension in the hotel room. We were just sitting on the beds in pairs, staring at the walls. No one had spoken in more than an hour.

Of course Ian had come with me and Jared had chosen to come too. Since Jared was leaving there was no chance Mel wouldn't be coming, especially if there would be the chance to give me more grief. I was surprised she hadn't been filling every second with her comments.

I spent the time wishing we had gotten two hotel rooms. Unfortunately to avoid suspicion we decided one was best. Souls travelling in groups didn't have a desire for privacy from each other. Four souls would be perfectly content in one room, so we were forced together though Mel had made it quite clear that she had no desire to spend any time near me.

"We just went 2 weeks ago. We don't need anything," Ian whispered in my ear. "Besides, you know you could go maternity shopping if you wanted to." He kissed my cheek and I heard Mel groan. It wasn't that I didn't want to go shopping, I just wanted to go with him and it wasn't like he couldn't be in a mall full of souls without drawing attention to himself. And if he couldn't go then I wouldn't go. I didn't need anything special. My shirts were already oversized and my pants had drawstrings. That would be enough. I drifted off into the exciting world of planning maternity outfits for awhile.

Finally Jared broke the silence so we could discuss the plans for tomorrow. We decided that we would go early in case there were any tests that needed to be run. None of us were sure of the protocol of soul pregnancy. Hopefully we would not have to stay an extra day.

That night we went to bed early, just for something to do. Hopefully time would move faster if we were asleep. I had been hoping that Mel was calming down a little bit but it appeared that she wasn't. This rift was getting more difficult to bear by the minute. Hopefully she would get over this sooner rather than later.

* * *

"Hello Storm Weatherer," my healer said when he walked into the examination room. "I'll be your healer today. My assistant tells me you believe that you are pregnant."

"Yes, that's true," I replied.

"Where is your partner? They usually attend appointments of this nature." He was just curious, I had to remind myself, nothing more.

"We decided he didn't need to come. There was no use in missing a day of work when I'm not sure of anything."

"That shows a deep commitment to his calling. He must be a great partner."

"He is," I felt obligated to reply.

"What is his calling?" he asked, just curious again.

"He delivers mail."

"Isn't the great? It's so nice that we keep up quaint human traditions like written mail. I love getting those ads in the mail." He trailed off lost in thought no doubt wondering what was waiting for him in his mailbox at home. "Well let's go ahead and get started. I don't know how much you know about human pregnancy," he hesitated, looking to me for confirmation.

"Just what my host has shown me, but it's very vague."

"Ok, well the first step in the process is to discern if you are actually pregnant. This part may seem familiar to you as we use the same diagnostic test that the humans did. We will take a blood sample and test for hormone levels. That was one thing they got right. When we get the results back we can discuss your options." He turned to get some supplies but I want to continue this now.

"Options?" I asked, as innocently as possible.

"Well yes, there are several options depending on your pregnancy status and your desire to continue." He gauged my reaction, while swabbing my finger with Clean. "Usually the protocol is to remove you and allow the host to carry the baby to term herself, and then after birth you would be reinserted. You would then have the choice of souls to be implanted into the baby." He smiled at me and I smiled back, hiding the horror of the thought of a soul in my child's body. "Small pinch," he said and before I knew what he meant he pricked my finger will a small needle. One drop of blood flowed onto a strip. He set it on the counter and rubbed a small amount of Heal on the wound. He took a deep breath and continued.

"There are also some who decide not to continue a pregnancy. If you so choose we would move you into a new host and discard the pregnant one."

"Wow," I breathed. I was genuinely surprised that he talked about discarding a host with such ease. How many other souls had discarded pregnant hosts? How many would we have been able to save? I made my decision then and there to never let anyone know. No one would understand, and would cause them to hate souls even more. No, they could never know.

"You've definitely given me much to think about. How long will I have to wait for the test results?" I hoped it would only be about an hour. I didn't think I could stay away much longer.

"About another minute. It's almost finished processing." I was surprised but I realized I was thinking of the human timeframe associated with medicine where time was measure in days and hours rather than minutes.

He turned to the counter and looked at the strip. The strip hadn't changed colors and no writing had shown up on the strip so I had no idea what he was looking for. He turned to me, strip in hand.

"Well, Storm Weatherer, it looks like you were right. You are pregnant." He judged my reaction. He wasn't sure if this was something I wanted, or something I had stumbled across accidentally.

I beamed at him. This was the confirmation I had been looking for. I wished Ian was there.

"Well, since this appears to be a happy result. Would you like to discuss our course of action?" He asked as he pulled out a clipboard from a drawer.

I kept myself composed. "No thank you, I've grown quite attached to this body. And I've heard that being pregnant is a unique experience. I would like to continue down this path."

His eyes widened. "Are you sure? This is a very unusual decision. Childbirth is said to be painful, as well as dangerous. You should discuss this with your partner first."

"I agree, however, I would like to start making plans for carrying this baby. I am sure my partner will agree." I could tell the Healer was a little apprehensive about my behavior but it wasn't anything too serious. "What can I do today?" I asked.

"I'll give you an enhanced version of Health for pregnancy. You should take one pill everyday. And I would like to see you every two weeks to keep up on your progress. I am very interested to see how this will turn out for you. This is a new experience for me."

I knew that he could never have told me anything else, but I wished in that moment that he had lied to me and told me he had done this many times before. It made me anxious to know that this was not a path chosen often. Would I be strong enough to deal with this? I hoped so.

"If you change your mind, be sure to come back as soon as possible." His look made it no secret that he hoped I would be back in less than two weeks. "And I would love to meet your partner. His job with the Postal Service sounds intriguing. Bring him with you next time you visit."


	5. Chapter 5

I got into the backseat of the car and slammed the door shut, crossing my arms over my chest. This was not working out well.

"Well? How did it go?" Mel asked when I didn't say anything.

"I'm pregnant." I had to pause while Ian pulled me into a bone crushing hug. It didn't take long until he realized I wasn't quite was excited as he was. Unfortunately his thought process went a couple of steps too far.

"What is it? Is there something wrong with that baby?" He looked devastated.

I ended his pain quickly. "No, the baby is fine. I just have to take this Health everyday." I pulled the bottle out of my bag to show him. "The problem is the Healer wants to meet you. I tried to talk about you as little as possible but he was asking questions about where you were and what your calling was and now he wants to meet you and I don't know what to do." By the end I sobbing and rambling.

Ian took my face into his hands. He was smiling. I couldn't understand why. He had no reason to be happy. This threatened to expose us all. If he went they would know he wasn't a soul. If he didn't go it would be suspicious. There was no way that this could turn out well.

He kissed my tears away. "Wanda, sweetheart, I already thought of that. Don't worry. We have a plan."

"And what would that be?" I was horrified that he had thought of something when I hadn't. I was the soul after all. This was my area of expertise.

"You need a partner that you can take with you to these appointments. And it's not going to be me." I was still confused. "Think about it Wanda. Who's coming to visit next week and staying for awhile?" The only person I could think of was Nate and that wouldn't help me at all. He was even less soul-like than Ian. How was that ever going to work? Then suddenly it hit me and I knew why Ian was no longer concerned. Burns would be there. If he was willing to come with me this could solve all of our problems. And Ian seemed sure that he would be willing. Too sure in fact.

"Did you already ask Burns about this?" I didn't like that he hadn't told me about this when he'd first thought about it.

"Yes. I thought of it awhile ago. So the last time I saw him I asked if he would mind. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this sooner." He seemed truly apologetic and I was about to let it go when I remembered something.

"The last time Burns was around was before we even started trying. Are telling me that he knew I was going to get pregnant before I did?"

"Well technically I didn't know you were going to get pregnant before you said yes." He was covering now. It didn't make me happy.

"I can't believe Burns knew I was pregnant before I did!" Ian opened his mouth to respond but I just kept going. "Do you know how ridiculous it is that someone we barely know decided he was going to pretend to be my partner at maternity appointments before there was even a need for them? Let me clue you in. Very!" Suddenly I was very aware that I was shouting. I was instantly disappointed in myself for that outburst. It wasn't that I shouldn't have said it. I just should have worded it with a little more tact. Ian, Mel, and Jared were all staring at me with their mouths hanging open. They probably didn't think I was capable of that. I didn't know that I was either.

"I'm so sorry," I started apologizing. Ian assured me that it wasn't necessary but I could help it. I felt horrible about my actions and tried to find a way to make amends. I couldn't come up with anything so I settled for apologizing the whole 2 hour ride back to the caves.

* * *

When we arrived back we gathered everyone in the game room. In the car we decided to tell everyone now, rather than wait for them to find out separately. It had seemed like the best course of action, except that I was nervous about everyone's reaction. I hoped that Doc had spilled to Sharon but as I scanned the room she looked just as expectant as everyone else. This was not going to go well.

Ian pulled me to the center of the group and turned to face everyone. "I'm sure you're all wondering why we asked you here. Wanda and I have an announcement to make." He paused, looking for someone. When he found Kyle he continued. "Wanda's going to have a baby. I know this will come as a shock to most of you, but this was something that we were trying to do. We understand that you might be mad and we're willing to answer any questions you might have."

The room was silent. No one said anything. Suddenly Maggie stood up and walked out with Sharon on her heels. Doc looked at me apologetically and followed, hopefully going to try to talk some sense to the two of them. As soon as they were gone all eyes moved back to us. The only person smiling was Jamie and I had expected that. No one else looked too excited about the idea.

"You're really serious about this?" Kyle asked finally.

"Yes, I love Wanda and there is no doubt in my mind that this is the best course for us." Ian sounded so sure.

"I can't say I agree with this," Kyle said. "It just doesn't seem right. How do we know it's going to be human?"

"That's ridiculous Kyle. Of course it will be human. And even if it was part soul I would love it anyway. Haven't we already discovered that not all souls are bad?" Ian's sarcasm wasn't helping. He glanced over at Sunny and a look of embarrassment crossed Kyle's face. He knew that he shouldn't have been so rude with her right next to him. He still would have said it without her next to him, but saying in front of her helped him to know it was wrong.

Ian and Kyle were staring at each other and the tension was thick. I was hoping someone would step in before they got to fighting. It was making me queasy even thinking about it. I found Jamie in the crowd and he looked like he wanted to ask a question but wasn't sure if it was the right time.

I nodded to him and he asked, "Do you know what you're going to name it?"

Why did that have to be that question? I honestly couldn't think of anything that would make the current situation worse than this one. But I knew that Ian would still answer it.

"We were thinking," Ian spoke quietly, addressing the group. "If it's a boy we want to name him Western Setting Sun, and we'd call him Wes." He paused as Lily's eyes watered. "And if it's a girl we were going to go with Journey of Desire Internal."

"Jodi," Kyle breathed. He looked slightly angry. I thought he was going to attack Ian but then his face softened.

"I guess I just always thought that if anyone were going to be Jodi O'Shea it would be her," he nodded to Sunny. "But I guess if I can't do that, this is the next best thing." He stepped forward and hugged his brother.

* * *

_A/N: Congratulations LJane you knew what I was up to. BTW, I had a horrible time coming up with those baby names. I know they're no Rensemee but I think they serve their purpose to be sufficiently random. And trust me, I would never name my child that._


	6. Chapter 6

For my next appointment it was just Ian, Burns, and me who went. We were in our room getting ready for the next day when Burns decided we should take some time and work on looking like a couple. Ian didn't want us to leave but decided it would be for the best if he did have to see Burns acting like my partner. He kissed me and urged me to hurry back.

Burns and I headed out to the car and he drove us to a nearby restaurant. As we were walking in he held the door open for me and suddenly I was acutely aware that Ian had never held a door open for me. He'd never had the opportunity.

We sat at a table and Burns took my hand as the waitress was handing us our menus. I pulled back a little initially before I realized he was just doing this for show. After the waitress took our drink order he leaned in closer than a friend should and put his hand on my cheek. I knew that he was only doing this as a favor to Ian but I found it hard not to resent him for trying to take Ian's place.

As if he were reading my mind he said, "You know I don't want to get between you and Ian." He started stroking the back of my hand. "I'm just trying to help you blend in. That's all."

"I know. It's just hard. Every time you touch me I can't help but wish it was Ian." I looked into his eyes, which were still too close. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. There's only one piece of advice I can offer you and it probably won't help."

"What's that?" I asked curiously. Anything to make this less awkward.

"Pretend that I'm Ian." He paused to see how I was going to react. When he saw I was still listening he continued, "Just close your eyes and imagine what it would be like to be to have Ian here with you. What would you do?"

I closed my eyes and thought. "This. Maybe play a little footsie." Suddenly Burns' feet touched mine. No, not Burns. Ian. Ian was sitting across from me. Ian was holding my hand. Ian was playing with my hair. It was all Ian. I felt myself reaching out with my free hand and placed in on his cheek. I leaned in. It hurt to be this far away from him. I was about to kiss him when I remembered myself.

I pulled back and disengaged my hands from Burns'. I opened my eyes to see him staring at me.

"Wow. How did you do that?"

"I just did like you told me. I imagined you were Ian."

"You've got one hell of an imagination. Ian's a lucky man." We both laughed, satisfied at having completed the task we had come here to accomplish. We finished our dinner with pleasant conversation and nothing more.

"How did it go?" Ian asked when we got back.

I kissed him before I answered. "As well as could be expected when I have a partner that isn't you."

He smiled mischievously. "And how well was that?" he asked wrapping his arms around me.

"Pretty bad. Borderline horrible even." Ian looked pleased although my inability to be comfortable with Burns should have the opposite effect. "Until Burns taught me a trick. Now it's almost easy." Now Ian looked concerned.

"And what trick is that?" he asked with interest that edged on nosiness. I was enjoying this, probably more than I should. Ian was jealous. It made me feel loved in a whole new way.

"I just imagine that he's you. And then it gets easier. Too easy. I love you so much sometimes I have to remember that he isn't you to keep from going overboard." He smirked.

"Care to go overboard now?" he asked. Before I had the opportunity to respond he moved his hands to the small of my back and pulled me close. He moved one hand up to the side of my face and bent down to kiss my neck. It was good thing Burns had excused himself to go for a walk.

I pulled back for a quick second. "You know this might not be the best idea."

"And why is that? When is this ever a bad idea?"

"You might give me some ideas for when I'm playing 'happy couple'. You wouldn't want that would you?" I asked, teasing.

"As long as you don't act on it," he laughed. "I think even the Healers would get angry if you acted on it in front of them."

I let a giggle escape and he bent back down to pick up where he left off.

The next morning I was holding my breath as we walked through the door. Burns noticed I was tense and whispered in my ear to calm down. He grabbed my hand in an obvious show of affection. I didn't know that we needed to be so obvious. Souls were usually subtle about things like this. I trusted Burns to know what the protocol was, and I closed my eyes to picture Ian. I closed the space between us and let him lead me where we needed to go.

We walked up to the main desk and checked in. I had called ahead last night to make sure that my Healer would be there so I could at least be calm about that. I wouldn't have to deal with a different healer with a whole new set of questions.

We were led into an exam room where an assistant took another blood sample. We barely had time to sit down before the Healer walked in.

"Ah, Storm Weatherer, it's good to see you back. And I see you've brought your partner." He nodded to Burns and held out his hand. "Good to meet you. I'm sure you must be very excited."

Burns shook his hand then looked at me lovingly. "Very. This is a human event I definitely want to experience."

I mentally thanked Burns for settling any debate about what direction this pregnancy was heading in. Hopefully things would be smooth sailing from here on out. Burns and I looked at the Healer expectantly.

"I ran some more tests on the sample you gave the last time you were here, and I'm pleased to report that everything looks normal."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I had been terrified that I would get bad news and have to break it to Ian. Telling Ian would be worse than having something be wrong in the first place. My own heartbreak I could handle, but his would be too much to bear.

"That's great news," Burns said. He beamed at me and I could see love in his eyes.

"And you haven't changed your mind about leaving your host?" His eyes betrayed his desire for me to alter my decision.

"No. I am committed to this."

"Ok, then. I will run some tests on the blood sample we just took and I'll see you in two weeks."

"That's all?" I asked. Shouldn't there be a lot more to this?

"That's all. Everything we need to know will be in your blood sample."

With that the Healer left and I turned to Burns.

"Burns, I wanted to ask you a question. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I'm curious." He nodded and I continued. "How is this so easy for you? Showing affection for someone you barely know?"

"It's not," he answered quickly. "But I take the same approach that you do."

"You imagine I'm someone else?" He nodded. "Who?"

"When I was on the Fire Planet I had a partner who I was devoted to. I loved her more than I thought was possible. When it was time for us to move on she decided that instead of re-settling somewhere else, she would become a mother. I tried to talk her out of it but she was unshakable." He took a deep breath and continued. "So when I'm with you I pretend that it's her instead. That we're the ones having this baby together. That she is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." His eyes were distant and clouded with tears threatening to spill over.

"Oh, Burns." I put my arms around him and gave him a hug. I couldn't say that I understood, and I hoped that I never would.

* * *

_A/N: So just as a little aside I was watching Ocean's Eleven earlier and apparently the song at the end when they're standing in front of the fountain is Claire de Lune. Not gonna lie, I didn't really like it at first. But after listening to it again I gotta say, Edward has exceptional taste in music. Next chapter done soon hopefully! Reviews are always greatly appreciated!!_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: It's good to know you guys are just as obsessed with random Twilight-ness as I am. I think you guys were more excited about Claire de Lune than you were about my chapter. That's ok, I think I was too. This chapter is kinda long and wasn't a part of my original outline but the idea came to me and it had to be written. Reviews are wonderful :) _

* * *

Time passed quickly. I was going for my appointments every two weeks and Burns and I had our loving couple routine down to a science. If I hadn't already been so committed to Ian I might have found myself pining after Burns. He was always so considerate. His partner must have been completely self-less to leave this man behind.

I had been relegated to kitchen duty recently, as that was the only useful skill I had at the moment. It wasn't the most exciting job but at least I only had to get up for the obligatory bathroom trip every hour. From what I was told that was a long period of time between trips. People said I was lucky. I wasn't sure I believed them. Who ever thought of telling someone how much worse things could be, wasn't a soul. Souls tend to worry about the worst case scenario. And I was very prone to doing that lately. I was constantly thinking about the baby coming too soon, being sick, or a horrible combination of the two. Thankfully there were people in and out of the kitchen all day to keep me occupied.

Isaiah was sitting next to me one day, washing off the potatoes in the sink after I peeled them, when he turned to me, "After you have the baby is Ian going to leave?"

I was completely taken aback by this question. "No, why would you think that?" I tried to stay calm and keep the panic out of my voice.

"Before Freedom was born my mom, my dad, and me were always together. We were never apart. After Freedom was born, he couldn't come with us everywhere so Dad left by himself. One day, he just never came back." He wiped away a tear with his sleeve. I pulled him into as close a hug as my pregnant belly would allow.

"I am so sorry that happened to you Isaiah. I really am. But I'm sure your Dad was trying as hard as he could to get back to you. And even though I never met your dad, I know something really special about him."

He turned his tear-stained face up to me. "What?"

"He loved you. So much that he didn't lead the Seekers to you. And I promise, it takes a lot of love to be that strong."

He shuddered when I mentioned the Seekers. It was horrible that someone I was so closely tied to would be the worst monster imaginable to the child in my arms. I would not allow my baby to be afraid of souls, Seeker or any other kind. Obviously there would be a healthy respect involved, but never fear. Never fear.

"Really?" he asked, wide eyed. "He was brave?"

"He would have to be. It's hard to keep a soul away from people you love. Even Melanie couldn't do it."

His eyes lit up and I immediately regretted saying that. It wasn't fair to make Mel feel like a failure because she only kept me out for a few months. After all, most hosts didn't last more than a few minutes.

"But let's keep that a secret. I wouldn't want to get on Mel's bad side," I tried to laugh it off into a joke, hoping Isaiah would see it as such and not repeat it. He laughed too and I hoped I had succeeded.

But now my head was reeling with all new worries. What if Ian left to go on a raid and didn't come back? What if I had to stay behind with the baby and couldn't protect him from the Seekers? Every possible worst case scenario was running through my head. It was a horrible idea to have a baby. I could not be a parent without Ian. I didn't know how to do it and I wouldn't want to learn. Would I be able to go on without Ian? Definitely not. Even imagining it was painful. Before I knew what was happening, I was sobbing uncontrollably. I thought I had scared Isaiah until I felt him reach up and start stroking my hair. He didn't understand why I was crying, but he wanted to help.

Once I stopped crying I dried my tears and looked at him.

"Feel better now?" he asked with a smile.

"Much better, thank you." I smiled back. His smile was infectious.

"Good. My mom says that sometimes it helps to let it all out and have a good cry." It hurt me that he had to grow up so early. I envisioned him holding his mother while she sobbed over his father. No child should have to go through that.

"Your mom is a very smart lady," I said with a sniffle. I needed to change the subject. "So what is Sharon teaching you now?"

"Reading mostly." He made a face.

"You don't like reading?" That seemed like an awful attitude to have towards something so important.

"Actually I like it a lot, but we don't read anything good."

"That's too bad," I said. "Maybe the next time I'm out on a raid I can get you some more interesting books to read."

He grinned and I knew I said the right thing. Sometimes it was so easy to make a child happy. Maybe this baby thing wouldn't be so difficult after all. I didn't kid myself. It would be harder than I could ever imagine, that much I knew.

At that moment Ian walked into the kitchen. He was turning one of the fields today, getting ready to plant some corn. He kissed the top of my head as he passed by to grab an apple. As he leaned forward to pull one out of the basket I couldn't help but notice how good he looked in his white t-shirt and jeans covered in earth. Dirt looked good on him. He came and stood next to me and put his arm around my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around his waist and he took a bite of his apple.

"How's it coming along?" he asked with his mouth full. He smiled at the half filled bucket of potatoes and knew I wasn't making much progress.

"Just fine. Isaiah's being very helpful." Isaiah smiled at me, glad that I had given him such a glowing review.

"I can see that," Ian said. "And I know just how to reward him for working so hard today."

"What?" Isaiah asked, eyed wide with excitement.

"They're starting to water the south field."

"Really?" Isaiah was bouncing out of his seat.

"Yep, and I made them promise to wait for you before they turned the sprinkler on."

Isaiah hugged him. "Thanks Ian. You're the best!" He started to bolt out the door but slowed and turned back to look at me, asking for permission.

"Go. Have fun," I said.

Once Isaiah was out the door Ian took his seat and removed the peeler from my hand. "I'll peel. You wash."

We sat in silence for a little while, just enjoying being close to one another. Our hands would occasionally brush as we worked and every time it sent a jolt through my body. I would never get tired of that feeling. Suddenly I knew I needed to discuss my new fears with Ian. I reached over and placed my hands on top of his to get his attention.

"What are you doing?" he asked, surprised.

"I need to ask you a favor." I ran my hands up and down his arms.

"Anything." He looked into my eyes with passion and I felt horrible for what I was about to ask.

"I was thinking about what we're going to do after the baby is born. And I wanted to ask you not to go on any raids for awhile."

He pulled back and looked away. "That's not very fair Wanda."

I knew it wasn't. That didn't change my desire for it. I put my hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Ian. I truly am. I'm just terrified that something will happen to you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me."

"You can't know that," I whispered looking at the floor.

"Wanda." He took my face into his hands and looked me straight in the eye. "I will never leave you." It was hard not to believe the conviction in his voice. But how could he make that guarantee?

"I know that you would never intentionally leave, but what if—."

"No, Wanda. You're not hearing me. I will never leave you. I'll stay here with you. I won't go on raids. Hell, I'll be a professional potato peeler if you want me to."

"But?" I prompted.

"But if I'm not going on raids then you're not going either. That's my only condition. You can't have it both ways." He wasn't leaving much room for negotiation.

"But we could go together?" I asked hopefully.

"And leave Wes here by himself?" he countered.

I raised an eyebrow. "Wes?"

"Well I decided that I'd rather be calling him by the wrong name than keep calling him it. I have a 50/50 shot. But that's not the point. The point is we can't both leave the baby here by himself."

I knew Ian wouldn't want to hear this, but it had always been a part of my plan. "He could come with us," I whispered.

"No. That's out of the question." He was getting angry. I hadn't intended to have this conversation yet, but now that it was started, it had to be finished.

"Ian, I don't want my child to grow up afraid of souls. He needs to see them. See that they're not all bad. And the only to do that is to take him with us out into the real world."

"You don't understand!" He was on his feet now, shouting at the ceiling. "That is a risk we can never take. We can never let a child out into that world. It's not safe."

I tried to stay calm. "Just because it's not safe for you doesn't mean that it won't be safe for him. I'll be there to protect him."

"And who's going to be there to protect you when a Seeker finds you and wants to know why you have a human child with you?" He just didn't understand.

"A soul would never insist that I force my child to become a host. The Seeker would see us and see a happy family on our way home from the store or from dinner. There would be nothing suspicious about that. He could grow up to do anything he wanted to do. Work, start a family. Ian, he could go to a Healer if he needed to."

He seemed taken aback by this. This was something he hadn't thought of. But I could also tell it was not something that he wanted. He wanted to stay a family in these caves forever, which I had to admit would be preferable, but why shouldn't our child know about every option open to him?

"A Healer?" he asked. "He could really go to a Healer?"

"Of course, they would never refuse a soul, or the child of a soul."

"Okay, I'll make you a deal. He can go to a Healer, and nowhere else." He looked at me sternly and I knew this was not up for discussion.

"That's a condition I can live with." I smiled at him and knew that this was not going to be the end of this. But for now we had reached an agreement that both of us could live with for now. Later on, we would have this conversation again, but hopefully Wes would be old enough to weigh in his own opinion.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Wow you guys are awesome with the reviews! Sorry for the wait for this one. I posted the last chapter then went home for the weekend (and went to a NKTOB concert which was amazing) and when I got back to my computer I completely forgot what I wanted to write in this chapter (probably because after the concert I had to resist the urge to write something really obscene involving 2 new characters named Shouvley and Donnie Wahlberg), so I had to wait for my temporary writers block to fade. Enjoy, only 2 more to go!_

* * *

Time passed slowly and quickly at the same time. Mel had finally stopped hating the idea of a baby. She still wasn't excited about it, but at least she was willing to talk to me. I had missed her so much. Jamie was still the most excited out of anyone. He kept talking about his niece or nephew. (We decided since Jamie was practically my brother he deserved the title of uncle.)

My belly was so big I could barely get out of bed by myself. My Healer wanted to see me once a week now and he told me that I would only have to wait another 2 weeks before he would induce labor. That was the point that made me nervous. On our last visit he said, "I'm very interested to see how this will go." Why, oh why couldn't he lie? I'd learned how to do it, why couldn't he?

We had assembled the crib we had gotten on our last trip out and organized the clothing and diapers. The crib had been quite an ordeal. I had never heard such a string of profanities come out of Ian's mouth until he tried to attach the rails and discovered they didn't fit the way the directions said they would.

I heard him mumble under his breath, "They can cure cancer, but they can't make a crib that can be put together?" I just smiled to myself and kept putting diapers on the shelf of the cabinet.

Later that night Ian and I were lying in bed, his hand on my stomach, trying to feel Wes kick. It had been a little while since he felt anything and Ian was terrified that something was wrong.

"Ian I promise there's nothing wrong with him." I reassured for the thousandth time.

"But he's not kicking," he said matter-of-factly.

"Okay, first of all, according to the Healer, kicking trails off towards the end of the pregnancy since he doesn't have as much room to move around. A secondly he is kicking, just not into your hand." I was kind of annoyed. I had explained this before.

"Then where is he kicking?" he asked like it was going to be some magical invented place that he'd never heard of and wouldn't think was real.

I didn't want to answer and worry him but I also didn't want this conversation to go on for the next two weeks. "He's kicking up into my ribcage. That's why I've been having heartburn lately." I glanced at Ian's face quickly and saw a look of shock.

"Oh. Why didn't you tell me?" He sounded hurt that I hadn't trusted him with this piece of information.

"It's not a big deal. Apparently it happens to just about everyone. In fact, it's a good sign. It means that the baby is turning to that he's ready to come out." I smiled at him and hoped this would make him feel better. "And it doesn't hurt. It's just more of an annoyance," I added.

"I don't like you in any pain at all Wanda. It hurts me just to think about it." He stroked my hair and I turned my face up to kiss him.

"It's ok really. I knew that this was coming when I got into this. It's all part of the process. And it's definitely worth it." He kissed my forehead and we just laid there for what felt like forever. I would've liked that.

Suddenly Ian spoke. "Do you think I'll be a good dad?" he whispered, doubt clouding his words.

"Of course," I replied automatically. I didn't think he would need reassurance.

"How do you know Wanda? I'm not sure I'll know what's best for him. I don't know when it's ok to leave him in a room by himself. When he can start eating real food? How do I discipline him? I used to get spanked when I was little but I know you wouldn't allow that. Not that I even could. What if he doesn't listen to me? I don't want to be standing in the middle of caves yelling at him for everyone to hear. How can I teach him about sportsmanship when there are no sports anymore? Can I teach him to throw a baseball in here? How about a football? Will he want to be like me? Will he love me?" His final sentence was barely above a whisper and filled with doubt.

I didn't know where to begin. "Ian, if you are one tenth as loving to him as you are to me, then I promise he will love you more than life itself. Other than that, I'm sure everyone has these fears, especially now. Everything is different from when you grew up. But that doesn't mean you don't know anything about raising a child. All it takes is love and patience. And you have more than enough of both. I'm sure we'll make mistakes, let him eat too much or stay up too late. But in the end, as long as he turns out to be a decent human being we'll have done our job well. And with you as his father he'll turn out so much more than decent."

He took a deep breath. I hope I had been able to convince him. His answer surprised me. "I believe you. And not for the reasons you said, but for all different ones. I know that I can do this because I'll be doing it with you. If I ever feel like it's too much I'll only have to look to you to know that I can get through. Nothing is ever complicated when I'm with you. All that I need to know is that I love you and everything falls into place." He stared into my eyes with absolute adoration. "I love you Wanda." He laced his fingers with mine and hugged me tightly.

We laid there for quite awhile until we fell asleep. Sometime during the night I felt a sharp kick. I sat up and rubbed my stomach where Wes had kicked me. That really hurt. I was now wide awake, knowing that if I were to try to go back to sleep I would just get kicked again. I decided to go for a walk to try to lull Wes back to sleep. I disengaged from Ian and wandered down the hall, not sure where I was headed.

Before I knew where I was going I ended up somewhere completely unexpected. I traced my fingers around the rocky walls remembering the first time I entered this area, though I had been Melanie then. It was the cave where I had been held prisoner when I first arrived here. How different things had been. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would even be alive right now, let alone pregnant. I sat and leaned against the wall while I thought about all of the events that led me to this moment. As some point I drifted off the sleep still contemplating the astonishing turn my life had taken.

I was having a dream about something pleasant, though I wasn't sure what, when I awoke to another sharp pain. I started to rub my stomach to relieve the ache, when I realized that it had not come from a kick. And another pain quickly followed. I was pretty sure I knew what was happening but I needed a second opinion. I hurried to Doc to see if he would agree. I was in labor.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Here's the chapter I was most excited to write. Get ready for a twist! Reviews are always greatly appreciated._

* * *

"It's too soon. It's too soon. It's too soon."

I kept repeating those words to myself as Ian flew down the dark highway. We passed a mileage sign. We were still more than an hour away from my healer. We weren't going to make it. Burns was with me in the back seat, trying to help me stay calm. He was trying as best he could but I knew there would be nothing that could help me until I knew my baby was safe.

The sun was just about to come up, as we sped across the deserted road. I prayed there would be no one to find us going more than double the speed limit. However, I'm sure even a soul would speed in a situation such as this. Wouldn't they? I was getting farther and farther from my knowledge of how a normal soul should act. I was minutely contemplating this when another sharp contraction rocked through me.

"Breathe. Breathe. Breathe," Burns reminded me. Ian turned and looked back. He and Burns had had a heated discussion over who was going to drive and who was going to sit with me. Finally it was decided that Ian could drive faster. But that didn't mean that he wasn't in the back seat with me emotionally.

"Watch the road Ian," I commanded. An accident would be the last thing that we needed.

Less than two minutes later there was another contraction, the strongest one yet. I knew we weren't going to make it in time.

"Ian, pull the car over," I said with as much control as I could manage.

"What?" he questioned. "No. We're gonna make it. It's not too much farther now."

"Look, I'm serious pull the car over. The baby's coming now." He looked to Burns for his opinion. He nodded and Ian slowed and pulled onto the shoulder.

"What am I even supposed to do?" he asked, horrified.

Why was he asking me this? "I don't know!" I cried. "Just catch!"

Ian got out of the car and ran around to the passenger side so he was near my feet. He stood there for about a minute before he decided on a course of action.

The pain was intense. It was all I could do to follow the directions of Ian and Burns to push and breathe at the proper intervals. There seemed to be so many things going on around me. Ian was looking for a blanket. Burns was wiping my forehead with a tissue. They were both yelling out instructions at fairly regular intervals, so I was caught completely off guard when a third unfamiliar voice appeared.

'_What's going on here?_' the voice inquired.

Neither Ian nor Burns made any attempt to answer, probably too scared of Ian being discovered. So I took it upon myself to reply in the hopes of keeping Ian safe for as long as possible.

"It's ok," I said. "The baby's just coming a little faster than we expected. We'll be fine."

I waited for answer while Ian and Burns just stared at me. Had they decided not to answer and I hadn't heard their instruction? Finally the voice started again.

'_What are you doing here?_' she inquired.

She was nosier than most souls. She sounded like she wouldn't give up without an answer.

In between breaths I assured her, "We were on our way to the Healer but we had to pull over. I'm sure everything will be fine." I repeated that we were fine in an attempt to convince her that her help was not needed.

Ian looked at me with uncertainty. "Wanda sweetheart, who are you talking to?"

"The woman asking the questions. I think she's on the other side of the car." I didn't like having to explain this to him. Was he really that focused that he wasn't even thinking about his own safety? That was dangerous.

'_I'm not outside the car. I'm sitting the backseat_,' the voice said to me.

I couldn't make sense of this. How could she be in the back seat when I was the only one back here? Another huge contraction exploded and suddenly I saw the image of a young girl looking into a mirror in a pink bedroom. She looked to be about 10 years old and I definitely recognized her but I wasn't sure from where. I stared into the mirror, trying to discover her identity. She looked so familiar. Then I understanding washed through me. Not only did I know her, I was her. This was Pet, but long before I inhabited this body. Gradually the realization set in. This wasn't even Pet's memory. This was a memory of the original inhabitant of this body. The human. She was awake. How did this happen?

'_What's you name?_' I thought to myself. No need to let Ian and Burns know that I had something else to focus on now.

'_Crystal_,' the voice replied, sounding terrified. She had obviously seen my thoughts and discovered what had happened to her. I wanted to reassure her that nothing bad was going to happen to her but the contractions were right on top of each other. The baby was coming now.

After an indeterminable amount of time (all I really knew for sure was that it was too long), the baby finally came. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Ten fingers and ten toes. A patch of light hair sat on top of her head and she was screaming her lungs out. It was a beautiful sound that I was grateful to hear. It drowned out the lamenting of Crystal in the back of my head.

Ian wrapped Jodi in a blanket and set her on my stomach. He climbed into the backseat with me while Burns drove the rest of the way to the Healer. Ian put his arm around me and gazed a Jodi through adoring eyes. If I ever had any doubts about where the center of his universe was, they were quashed now.

I tried to focus on Ian and Jodi but Crystal was pulling me elsewhere. She was probing my mind, looking for answers. I couldn't miss this time. I needed to be able to focus. This was my family, she would not ruin this moment. Finally, I did the only thing I could think of. I opened the part of my mind that revealed my half formulated plan. She seemed content with this and rested silently in the back of my mind to let me enjoy this moment.

We arrived at the Healers and Burns helped me inside. My Healer was surprised at my early labor, and in truth seemed a little disappointed. He must have really been looking forward to this.

After Jodi and I were both given a clean bill of health, Burns left to get a rental car, since our car was a little messy. I sat on a bench outside holding Jodi in the fresh air while Ian sat on the other side of the bench in the bushes.

"What's she doing now?" he asked again.

"The same as last time," I answered. "Sleeping." There was a tugging at the back of my mind. Crystal had been more than fair to allow me this time with Jodi. I needed to come clean as soon as possible to get a plan into motion. I wasn't quite sure how to broach the subject. I didn't know how Ian would take it.

"Remember in the car when I was talking to someone but there wasn't anyone there?" I asked quickly.

"Sure," he replied. "But don't worry about it. You were exactly coherent. I don't think you're crazy or anything." His reassurance would've been so nice if I hadn't known otherwise.

"No, I know I'm not crazy. But there's something I have to tell you." I paused before continuing. "The thing is, I did hear a voice. I just didn't know where it was coming from at first. But then I realized that I've heard that kind of voice before." I took a deep breath.

"So what are you saying?" he asked, suddenly very leery of the answer that was to come.

"What I'm saying is, Pet's awake."

"What?!" Ian jumped up from the ground and was suddenly next to me. I scanned the area and thankfully there was no one near us. He sat down and turned toward me. "How can this be? She's been gone too long. It's took late for her to wake up. I don't understand."

"I think when I was in labor the stress brought her back somehow. Like, since there were so many hormones running through my veins, there was the perfect combination to agitate her into consciousness." I tried to keep my voice stable, but I was starting to panic. I couldn't deal with another rebellious host.

Crystal didn't appreciate that very much. '_I'm not rebelling yet. And if you keep your promise, I won't have to_.' She reminded me of my pledge to help her. And I would not go back on my word.

Ian looked shocked, and really I didn't blame him. This was not something he anticipated having to deal with again. He opened his mouth to respond when Burns pulled up with the new car.

He got out and opened up the back door, where he revealed a car seat. He had thought of everything. I strapped Jodi in, the walked around to get in on the other side. I left room for Ian to sit next to me, but he got into the front seat.

Was he angry at me? I could understand if he was upset. This was completely unexpected but that didn't change the fact that I still wanted him to sit next to me and Jodi. What was going on?

Before I had the chance to ask he turned to Burns who had just shut his door. "Pull around back. We need to grab a cryo-tank."

"What? Why?" Burns asked.

Ian turned back to me and smiled. "We need to find Wanda a new host."


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Here it is, that last chapter. Enjoy!_

* * *

A few months had gone by and things were getting back to normal. Well, as close to normal as things could get when everything was different. Finding a new host had been surprisingly easy and now I was the proud inhabitant of Sails Many Rivers, nicknamed Sam. She was about average height and with long black hair and her smile had very deep dimples, so smiling came easily. The best part was Sam was better capable of handling everyday tasks. It was nice to feel like I could contribute again. I didn't like the idea of skipping hosts but there was no way I could help hold another human hostage.

Crystal was fitting in quite nicely. She had bonded with Mel since they had something very important in common. They had both shared their body with me, although Crystal had been less aware of it than Mel. It had been a relief to know that she felt no claim over Jodi. I had worried that she would feel some mothering instinct, but she wasn't mature enough for that. In her head she was still the same twelve year old that had been a host for Pet, so she was more like a big sister than a mother. That was fine with me. She did appear to have a small crush on Ian but it seemed to be innocent enough, she was twelve years old after all.

Jodi was gorgeous. She was the best baby anyone could ask for. She rarely cried and would let anyone hold her. She giggled constantly and that sound was music to my ears.

We were at dinner one night and Jared and Mel were fawning over Jodi as usual. Jared had made a doll for her out of old shirts and Mel was playing peek-a-boo. It was hard not to call them adorable. This scene brought to mind something the Healer had told me in passing. Suddenly it clicked and I couldn't keep it to myself. Mel had a right to know. I stood up from the table and turned to her.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" I asked hoping she wouldn't ask why until we got out of the room. She followed me out into the main room which was thankfully empty. I turned to face her and her expression was expectant.

"Mel, I have something to tell you. It's something the Healer told me when I went to visit him. I'm not quite sure how to say this." I paused to gather my thoughts. Was there an easy way to say this? I didn't think so. May as well get it over with quickly. "He told me that when a host rebels against a soul, it does so by using its own systems against it. Without meaning to a host can be fighting back and give itself a heart attack. Another, far more common side effect is using hormones against itself. The host sends the body impulses that the soul cannot feel or understand. The stress is just too much for the body to handle. And you had a lot of stress when I was with you. I'm sorry Mel, but the Healer said there's more than a 50 chance that you're sterile."

"Wow," she breathed. "That's terrible." She took a deep breath in and let it out with a smile. That was a strange reaction. I'd expected her to be shocked. "I guess it's a good thing I didn't find that out when you did," she continued. "Otherwise I might not be pregnant now." She looked at me with a devilish grin. I looked at her, not really sure I had heard her right. Mel, pregnant? I wasn't sure why, but I might have been happier for her than I had been for myself.

"Really?" I asked, already excited.

"Well, Jodi's going to need someone to play with. She'll outgrow Ian in less than a year." She laughed and suddenly her gaze was a mile away, no doubt imagining her own child.

"Mel, that's amazing. I'm so happy for you." I pulled her into a hug. A friend for Jodi. I had never imagined something so wonderful.

Later that week Mel and Jared had decided that is was time to go public with their announcement. Jared gathered everyone in the game room for a meeting after dinner. People were concerned that there was a problem so everyone was a little tense, except for me. But people used were to me look serene lately no matter the circumstances, obviously making up for my mood swings while pregnant. I was holding Jodi in my arms asleep. She was so beautiful. It was hard to believe there was ever a time in my life when I had felt happy before she was born.

Before the meeting started Kyle came over and sat next to me. He looked at Jodi then asked, "Do you think she could come back?" I knew he was talking about his Jodi, and I had been anticipating this question, although I still wasn't sure how to answer it.

"I think it's possible. But it wouldn't be fair to Sunny to make her to do that." I looked at him, hoping to press my point home. "And don't ask her to do it, because you know she can't say no to you. If it is ever to happen she has to suggest it herself. She knows this is a possibility. Wait for her to come to you."

"I know you're right," he said with a sigh. He had been resigned to the fact that Jodi would never be back, and now suddenly there was a chance. He would be crazy not to ask that question but he knew the answer. It may not have been what he wanted to here but he understood that an action like that would have repercussions. He stood and walked away to contemplate his situation. Ian took his seat next to me as Jared stood and called the group to order. Everyone quieted, fearing the worst.

"I called this meeting tonight because there's something I thought everyone should know. This may come as a shock to some of you but Mel and I have been thinking about this for a long time. Longer than some of you might think." He looked over at me and winked. Had Mel been holding out on me? "So we just wanted to let you know that there's going to be another little addition to our group. Mel's pregnant."

The room was silent for a second as people let it all sink in. All the sudden the room exploded with voices congratulating them. Jamie was so excited I thought he was going to explode.

"You mean I get to be an uncle again? And for real this time? That is so cool!" He was bouncing off the walls. There would be no sleep for him tonight.

Amid all the hugs and congratulations, Kyle moved to the center of the group and said, "Now hold on a second. I think we should talk about this here."

Jared eyed him furiously. "And why is that Kyle?"

"I just want you to think about it. Your genes combined? That kid's gonna have a lot of rage." And with that Kyle and Jared both burst out laughing and Kyle pulled him into a bear hug. "Congratulations, man."

Eventually the group dissipated and people began choosing sides for the soccer game we had been planning for after the meeting. Crystal offered to hold Jodi while I played. I was looking forward to really being able to run again. Mel and Jared were having a heated disagreement about whether or not she would be allowed to play. It looked like Mel was wearing him down when suddenly we heard a big crash from outside. I looked up at Ian and smiled.

"Guess we'll be spending the night in here," he said.

"You know that's my favorite." And it all ended with a thunderstorm.

* * *

_A/N: So that was it. I hope you liked it. Unfortunately I share the same fatal flaw as Stephenie Meyer. I just can't leave a character unhappy no matter how ridiculous the circumstances (i.e. Jacob imprinting on Renesmee), so everyone gets a happy ending. Thanks to everyone who read this and keep an eye out for my next fic for Good Will Hunting. The intro is up and I should start posting chapters some time in the next week. Thanks again to everyone who read and reviewed. You guys rock!_

_P.S. I'm pretty sad to be finishing this. There are a lot of potential sequels for this story. If you have any suggestions or requests let me know. I'm not sure I can leave this story alone._


	11. Everything Changes

Sorry to add a new chapter, but that was the only way I could be sure that this would get to everyone who had this on their alert list. There is a prequel to this story now posted called Everything Changes. It is the story of Crystal immediately before she becomes the host for Pet. I hope you will enjoy it. I know I had fun writing it. Remembering what it was like to be 12 was interesting haha. And just as an FYI: This is setting up a sequel that will feature the original gang. Show some love!


	12. A Million More

A new sequel has been published. The link to A Million More is located on my profile. For those of you who voted in the poll, let me just promise you that almost all of you will be happy with the direction I take this story! Hope you enjoy it and thanks for all of your patience waiting for me to get this out!


End file.
